Monday, November 29, 2010

A few months ago I got tickets to a preseason Rams game from my landlord. It was the first pro football game I'd ever gone to, and besides the overhead speakers that were way too loud, it was a great experience. The Vikings played the Rams, and the crowd was in good spirits...until the Vikings started winning by a huge margin. Anyway, here is a short visual essay I drafted in response to the game:

I was quickly enamored with the yard markers; they were like big, orange idols, worshipped and respected by the players, refs, and fans.

Football game, or Less Than Jake concert? Football is probably less dangerous.

The refs mull over one of the countless disputes of the game.

We had the great fortune of sitting a row behind two insane Viking fans (twin brothers). Completely, utterly insane. Upon each touchdown they screamed with joy, despite the grumbling of the Rams fans sitting around them. It didn't matter that they were in enemy territory: they would turn around and face the crowd, yelling in their faces. "Thank god for the Rams, giving us so many easy wins!" They didn't shut up until the third quarter, after a nearby Rams fan compared the Super Bowl victories of the two teams (the Vikings have none, though if they ever do win one, I'm sure the world will never hear the end of it).

An on-location drawing

From where I was sitting, the action of the game was always framed by the action on the sidelines: cameramen buzzing around, cheerleaders dancing, coaches discussing, referees measuring and scrutinizing, and players idling - waiting for their chance to enter the fray.

Another zany on-location drawing. The space doesn't make a lot of sense, probably because I wasn't paying close attention to anything besides the cheerleaders and their gyrating magic.